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View Full Version : General observations


Sandino
15-02-2000, 22:38
Ok, here are my first impressions:

Starting and Quiting:
1. Will the full release have a routine to create a shortcut button straight off rather than doing it ourselves? (btw liked the file named Wally, a term I havent seen since that book "How to be a Wally" :laugh:

2. Anyway of covering the screen with a simple black screen and a loading message. At the moment it looks like a Spectrum loading up http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/smile.gif

3. Any chance of getting the program to quit completely when you leave rather than loitering in the system tray? (it would be nice to have the option to do both in a preferences screen, perhaps with a "Save Windows Size" setting too)

Registration:
1. It crashed when looking for my Hotmail account, but worked fine with a btinternet account.

2. (really sad comment this one http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/smile.gif)In the help bit to the left when you log on it lists the username as jsmith, while it would probably recommend John.Smith when you register. In the name of consistency...

3. Not sure about requiring peeps to list their post codes. The cynic inside me suggests that post code + surname = full address with a database. If this is so then there should be a legal disclaimer or something, if it isnt then perhaps remove that field?

4. I might have missed it, but could you put a notice about whether the email address you submit is solely for WP to send their spam ( http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/wink.gif ), or whether other people will see it? I dont mind using my personal address for official stuff, but I dont like having it published for all to see (which is why I tried to register my hotmail account).

Once in There:
1. Ooooh noooo, too cluttered even at 1024x768, a 19inch monitor and full screen! Nice idea, and it is good having lots of information change and be instantly accessable, but in design terms too much clutter on screen is distracting and puts off people from loitering.
*actually, Ive just had another look. It's not too crowded and the look is nice (even the adverts aren't too intrusive!). Still, I think it could be better?

2. You seem to change chatroom as you move around. While this is good in general as it saves you having to do it yourself, could there be a click box that locks you within one chat room if you wanted to chat in one room but browse different parts of the system?

3. Thats enough for now. I've been throwing up all day and my head's starting to spin.

4. Lastly - THANKS FOR ALL THE WORK YOU PUT IN! There are millions of things I do like about it, I just thought id better stick to the suggestions first of all! Big up to all involved, and I hope you all get to sleep soon! http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Sandino (edited 15 February 2000).]

Sandino
15-02-2000, 22:53
Ooops, forgot something important:

The file might only be 500k, but checking my system info when it is running says that:

*Wireplay 3 UK Beta is talking up around 11.4 Mb of RAM
*About Wireplay (wherever that is) is taking up 3.55 Mb RAM

15Mb of RAM is a lot of overhead for something to launch memory intensive games isnt it, or does it quit the application when you start a game?

btw, "Wireplay 3 UK, eh? Plans for future global domination then? How do I get shares or a job there? http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/wink.gif

Kaylin
15-02-2000, 23:36
Some answers (sort of)

Starting and quiting
1. I would hope so
2. probably not
3. May be able to set it within a preferences dialog, not too sure what we're doing with that yet.

Registration
1. Ooh, I'll look into that.
2. You're right, I'll shoot whoever wrote that. Eh, Capt http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/smile.gif
3. I'll look into this... As you say we should probably put up some legal blurb
4. I can't remember the excact text http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/frown.gif, another one for me to look into.

Once in there
1. How?
2. If you click on the pop chat button another chat window will open in your current room and will not change when you navigate around.
3. Ooh, Sorry m8 can't help with that, except suggest you get some sleep http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/smile.gif
4. Thanks

Kaylin

Kaylin
15-02-2000, 23:37
Oops, didn't see you're second message...

Yep the client closes down, apart from the little system tray thingy, when you start a game.

Kaylin

cnephil
16-02-2000, 09:40
It worked with my hotmail account..

Sandino
16-02-2000, 11:41
Thanks for the response!

Might have just been my hotmail account then if others have got it to work. I can't get back to the registration screen so I cant recheck.

Design thing - Um, after playing about with all the windows I do like it more. The only suggestions I have are:
Maybe cut down the size of some of the graphics - they look nice but they take up a reasonable amount of room (make the borders at the top a bit smaller etc)

The other thing is I think it is the main, top-right window that I took an aversion to. I think that it is because if you load a webpage then you want it to be as big as possible, and since it has the most important information then you'd want it big anyway. However, when you go to browsing games then much of the horizontal space is completely unused. How about possibly increasing the amount of information across the screen.
I cant load the page up at the moment because I'm on x-stream so I cant be certain, but I think that some of the server detail that appears in the top-right could be moved to the bottom bit that has the players details.
Either that or possibly put in some extra information - eg the map rotation so you know what is coming next and whether you need to download anything in advance. Or you could put in the old player's time on server detail that WP2 has, maybe even keep a log of a player's all time time on the server(s) so that you know who is a newbie or not. I would imagine that would be nigh on impossible though!

Keep up the good work http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/smile.gif

Tom

wayneb
16-02-2000, 12:05
I Had problems with 2 of my email accounts http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/frown.gif
Love the interface though but still no joy with using another Isp to log on http://www.gameplayerz.com/ubb/frown.gif

Lieut Laww